Pollinator Friendly Berkeley

What Are Pollinators and Why Should We Care?

Imagine a world without a hot cup of coffee in the morning, the enchanting smell of dark chocolate, or the refreshing bite of watermelon on a scorching summer day. Without pollinators, we would not have approximately 85% of the flowering plants or roughly a third of the food we eat today! Unfortunately, the pollinator population is continuing to decline as a result of human development, especially with the continued widespread use of pesticides, incorporation of non-native plants and organisms into the native population, and loss of habitat.

A Pollinator Protection Strategy FOR BERKELEY

Pollinators are birds, bats, insects, and other mammals that disperse pollen to assist the fertilization process. These creatures deserve the space and resources to thrive and play a rightful role in the larger ecological web. Unfortunately, due to factors like habitat loss/fragmentation, pesticides, and pollution, many pollinator species are at risk.

However, this does not need to be the case. Many cities are actually prime pollinator hotspots and some are taking vital steps to stay that way. These cities include international locations like Toronto, Canada, and Curridibat, Costa Rica, as well as domestic locations such as Asheville, Tennessee, and Talent, Oregon. They are taking strategic measures to promote biodiversity and protect pollinator-friendly habitats.

Berkeley can too!

POLLINATOR PROTECTION STRATEGY AT A GLANCE

Berkeley can take proactive steps to protect local pollinator populations. Based on scientific studies and precedent examples, we propose a Berkeley Pollinator Protection Strategy (BPPS) with the following elements:

Pesticide Awareness and Policy
Pollinator-friendly Green Infrastructure
Individual and Community Engagement

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Throughout the duration of this project, we have been in communication with several Berkeley community leaders for this project. We would like to thank the staff of Rebecca Bauer-Kahan’s (16th California Assembly District Member), Terry Smith and Tora Rocha from Pollinator Posse, and Corrine Haskins from Berkeley Community Gardening Collaborative for their expert guidance on how to make Berkeley more pollinator-friendly.

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